1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved electrode consisting of an electrically conductive core essentially comprising iron and an electrically conductive coating essentially comprising lead.
The present invention furthermore relates to a process for the production of the novel electrode, its use for the reductive coupling of olefinic reactants and an improved process for the reductive coupling of olefinic reactants.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of lead cathodes in electrochemical processes, for example in the electrohydrodimerization of acrylonitrile to adipodinitrile (ADN), is known. For example, US-A 3,193,481, US-A-3,193,482 and US-A 3,193,483 describe the electrochemical preparation of ADN in a divided cell, pure lead being used as the cathode. In Organic Electrochemistry, Edit. Baizer and Lund, Marcel Dekker, New York, 1984, 986, a lead cathode containing 7% by weight of antimony is used for a similar preparation of ADN.
DE-A 2,338,341 describes the use of pure lead cathodes in undivided electrochemical cells for the preparation of ADN.